


Storm

by stardust_void



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Shadowbringers Spoilers, ambiguous and nameless wol, fluffy at the end, post shadowbringers, slight angsting from thancred, wol here is a lady though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 13:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21969889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardust_void/pseuds/stardust_void
Summary: The Warrior of Darkness and Thancred get caught in a storm, and clumsily deal with their unspoken feelings towards one another.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Storm

The two of them never expected to get caught in the rain.

After the night was brought back to the First, Norvrandt would slowly go back to the way it was a hundred years ago. And of course, this included the weather returning as well. However, the sudden downpour was somewhat surprising to Thancred, since he had not felt the cool touch of rain on his skin in five long years. But for the people of the first it had been far longer; it was a blessing to say the least. A slight shuffling sound from his current companion next to him brings him back from his reverie; reminding him of why they are here in the first place.

He and The Warrior of Light (or Darkness as the people in the First had taken to calling her) had to find refuge from the unexpected rain and strong winds outside. The best that they could find were the stony, decrepit remains of a building that had seen better days. It was not much, but it would surely keep them from getting soaked to the bone or struck by lightning.

The two of them were supposed to collect some tomes from Urianger’s home in Il Mheg and bring them back to the Crystarium; an easy job, Urianger said. The worst thing that could happen was having the residents of Il Mheg mess with them, which was not as likely to happen thanks to the Warrior’s pact with the new King. Unfortunately for the two of them, the storm began before they could even get to Urianger’s house--- which would have made a _much_ better shelter, in Thancred’s opinion.

And so, they would have to wait it out.

Just him and the Warrior of Darkness.

_Alone together._

He’d be lying to himself if the thought of that did not put him a bit on edge. It was no secret to anybody around them that there were plenty of unspoken feelings between the two of them. And on his end, such unspoken things had done naught but intensify by her five year absence in his life.

It was in moments like these that he struggled to find the words to say to her. And based on her silence, she too, felt the same as him. Although she could be a stoic woman, she had opened up a lot more since the first day that he met her. He smiles at the thought, thinking about how it has been a long time since then.

His slight change in expression does not escape her observant eyes.

“Oh? I didn’t think you liked the rain, Thancred. Were you not saying it was a nuisance earlier?” she comments casually and suddenly, startling him.

“Ah, no. I don’t much like this rain, especially when we don’t have a decent place to wait it out.” he quickly replies, hoping she does not notice the slight tension in his words and his furrowed brow. She was always good at figuring out what he was thinking, even if he did not say anything.

But alas, that woman was far too clever for him, and it was one of the things he loved about her.

“What’s wrong, Thancred?” she voices her concerns and utters the one phrase he did not wish to hear.

Their adventures in The First had helped him overcome some of the tumultuous emotions that had dwelled within his heart for a long time, and aided in giving him the resolve to deal with his sorrows more openly. However, he still had an unfortunate tendency to brood to himself in regards to certain things. She and what he felt towards her was definitely one of the things that constantly plagued his mind. Of course, such feelings had been hidden behind lock and key, during their conflict on The First. But now things had calmed down, and both of them had plenty of time to talk.

What was he to say to her? He had not the words, perhaps his time here had loosened his silver tongue. Nowadays, he was more of a man of action, rather than someone who charmed with words. And even if he tried to say he was fine, she would know he wasn’t.

Before he can stop himself, he replies to her question rather bluntly. Something he had grown accustomed to doing in the past five years. Sineaters are not ones for conversation, after all.

“You.”

 _“Me?”_ she replies incredulously, eyes wide and unbelieving of what she just heard.

Realizing what he said sounds more like an insult than a proper answer, he tries to backtrack.

“I...no...That’s not what I meant. My apologies.”

“Then what _did_ you mean?”

With some hesitation, he wills himself to explain. Even if that proves to be somewhat difficult.

“If I am to be honest, I was thinking about...us.”

“Oh.”

She averts her gaze from him and says nothing more. Which is something he feared would happen if he aired out his thoughts. Now that the atmosphere had grown even more awkward, Thancred knew that sooner or later, they would have to speak of this--or this tension would hang over their heads for the rest of their lives. 

"If such thoughts are oft occupying your mind, then...we should talk about it." she states, not leaving room for arguments. 

"About-"

"-what this _feeling_ between us is."

She turns to him with conviction and trains her intense eyes on him. Such a stare would normally put fear in the hearts of men should they stare too long, however, in his case her stare stirred many difficult emotions within him. Some which were not at all unpleasant.

He knew this conversation could lead to dangerous places.

A worried frown worms his way into his face, and he does not reply to her bold statement. He sighs and grips the bridge of his nose.

"You're the one who brought this up, Thancred."

"I know."

She moves towards him, hands on her hips and speaks once again.

"Then why do you hesitate so? It takes two to hold a conversati--"

Sadly, the all mighty Warrior of Darkness does not get to finish her sentence--as she trips on a mischievous stone brick that had just made its presence known.

Thancred quickly steadies her when she stumbles, his hands grabbing her by the shoulders to prevent her from falling. She looks up and mumbles out a quick thank you and an apology, somewhat bashfully since she had tripped mid sentence. He chuckles at the slight absurdity of their situation and she smiles, too; the mood lightening a little bit.

That is-- until they realize how close they are to each other now. His breath catches in his throat as he looks at her, and her smile fades as she continues to hold on to him; both of them frozen and unable to do naught but stare at each other.

He studies her face and she does the same. His gaze travels from her vibrant and tired eyes, to the slight scars on her cheeks and to her slightly parted lips. Have they always looked so soft?

 _Ah. That was a mistake,_ He thinks.

Thancred should not have looked there.

When she notices were his eyes lay, her grip on his arm becomes tighter and her breathing quickens; without noticing, she leans in, their faces closer now. One second passes, and then two--perhaps a few more, and the two of them stay perfectly still.

Until the very next moment-- 

\--Thancred closes the small gap between them by softly, and so very briefly pressing his lips to hers. It is as electrifying as the lightning from the storm raging outside. Unfortunately, he pulls back so fast that she wonders if it even happened at all; but her rapidly racing heart and tingling lips tell a different story. She looks at his face with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, not being able to let out anything louder than the ghost of a whisper—fearing that if she did, any traces of what just happened would vanish like smoke.

“Thancred…did you just-”

With his hands still gently holding her shoulders, he briefly gazes into her eyes before looking away.

“I...I shouldn’t have. ‘Twas wrong of me to do that without your permission.” He mentally chided himself for his actions, knowing that it was an impulsive decision to kiss her. A decision that would possibly have great consequences. What if this was not what she wanted? Had he misread the situation and possibly ruined their friendship? The Warrior of Light was a highly sought after woman, beloved by the people whose lives she touched, including his. He felt it was selfish of him to entertain the thought of the two of them being together in such a way. Even if both of them had grown as people, he still had plenty of doubts.

She stares at him and listens to his muttered apologies, a weary sigh escaping her. He always has a tendency to overthink things. For all his wit, Thancred could really be a fool sometimes; which was an annoying trait of his, but one that endeared him to her all the same.

And so, she smiled at his foolishness as she raised one of her hands to cup his cheek and make him turn his gaze back on her. He was surprised at the small gesture and opened his mouth as if to protest. But she shushes him and shakes her head, before gripping the lapels of his white coat and pulling him towards her, crashing his lips to hers. The sound of the rain pouring down outside and the loud booming thunder was nothing compared to the equally thunderous emotions between the two. A simple kiss containing everything that could not be simply explained with words, years of yearning and longing for something neither of them thought was within reach.

But here they were, so close to one another. No words needed to be spoken to know that this would change things between them. They’d still be the closest of comrades, but now there would be something that could only be shared by the two of them. They part from each other, resting their foreheads together. A warm glance and gentle smile passed here and there, a soft chuckle of realization---it was something new and unexpected, but it was theirs.

So for now, the two of them would stay here, knowing the storm would pass.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyy this is technically the first piece of writing of mine I share to the public (and technically my first fanfic). Im more of an artist than writer since I draw more than I write BUT...I needed more fluffy Thancred content, man...Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
